Listopedia

Kadence

Formerly iThemes Security; login protection plus Patchstack patching

Overview

Kadence is a classic theme originally built by Kadence WP; its WordPress.org author is now listed as Nexcess, Liquid Web’s managed hosting brand, and Kadence’s pricing page is served from liquidweb.com and states that Kadence is part of Nexcess.[4][6] It has been in the directory since November 2020 and is in the 500,000+ installation band; version 1.6.0 was published on 6 November 2026.[4]

The directory description highlights a drag-and-drop header and footer builder in the free theme, a library of starter templates, global font and colour controls, and integration with third-party plugins for ecommerce, course and business sites.[4] Kadence also carries the accessibility-ready tag.[4] The theme is commonly paired with the separate Kadence Blocks plugin, which adds layout blocks to the block editor.

Kadence’s commercial offer has been folded into a broader software bundle. The pricing page reviewed in November 2026 lists plans of US$350 per year for one site, US$599 for ten, US$799 for 25, US$899 for 50 and US$999 for 100 sites, each including The Events Calendar, LearnDash and GiveWP alongside Kadence.[6] That makes the paid route considerably more expensive than standalone theme upgrades from GeneratePress or Neve, although the free theme itself remains fully functional and rated 98 out of 100 across 458 reviews.[4]

Kadence features

  • Drag-and-drop header and footer builder
  • Starter template library
  • Global font and colour controls
  • Accessibility focus
  • Shop Kit for WooCommerce (Pro and Elite)
  • Brute Force Protection Network
  • Two-factor authentication
  • Security site templates by site type

Kadence pricing

Free theme. Paid tiers sold by Liquid Web in bundles with Give, The Events Calendar and LearnDash, priced by number of sites; see vendor for current prices.

Kadence strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Strong header builder and templates
  • Actively updated
  • Shop Kit adds WooCommerce features
  • Strong brute-force and login protection
  • Fast guided setup
  • Patchstack virtual patching in Pro

Limitations

  • Paid offer bundled with unrelated products
  • Pricing less transparent than single-product vendors
  • Requires PHP 7.4
  • Pro pricing less visible after rebrands
  • Hardening edits configuration files
  • No built-in cleanup service

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